Posts Tagged ‘Radius (bone)’:

The Facts about a Radius Fracture

Who can experience this injury?

A radius fracture can happen to anyone. (This includes a fun-loving adult who decides to show the kids his famous dive and slide technique on the slip-n-slide.)

Athletes, for example, often get a radius fracture when they land hard or catch a ball the wrong way.

Another example is that often older men and women will get a radius fracture from a minor fall to the floor. The bone density decreases when men and women age.

Women often develop osteoporosis, which causes bone degeneration. They are at an increased risk of having a radius fracture than younger people.

Young, healthy individuals will get a broken wrist during a traumatic event, such as car accidents, motorcycle accidents, and bike incidents.

Where exactly is this injury on the body?

There are two bones in the forearm, the ulna and radius.

The radius is the larger of the two bones.

People who break their elbow and/or wrist may have a radius fracture.

What are the signs that this injury occured?

People who have a radius fracture will have instant pain in the injured area.

There will also be swelling or bruising. Most broken bones lie in a disfigured position.

Doctors will review an x-ray of the broken bones to identify the severity of the break. More often than not, the radius bone breaks close to the edge of the bone.

Is this injury preventable?

There are steps that people can take to reduce the risk of a radius fracture.

Bike riders can wear wrist guards to protect their bones in case of an accident.

The same goes for motorcycle riders.

People who eat a healthy diet that is rich in vitamins and calcium will have a reduced risk of bone degeneration.

How is this injury treated?

When the radius fracture is still aligned, patients usually can wait to see their doctor if the pain is not too great.

Otherwise, patients who have deformed broken wrists will go to the emergency room for immediate treatment.

Broken wrists are either in splints or in casts. Doctors will often put the wrist in a splint until the swelling goes down.

Once the swelling goes down, the patient will receive a cast.

The cast normally stays on for two weeks and then is removed so that an x-ray can show the healing progress.

Most patients will wear a cast up to six weeks when they have a radius fracture.

Since a radius fracture can happen to anyone from a young, healthy athlete to an older, less active individual, the important steps are understanding the points of prevention, detection and treatment. And remember, maybe your turn on the slip-n-slide should stay in memory lane.